Lumber-drier



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1;

W. s. BATE S.

LUMBER DRIER.

No. 280,440. Patented Ju1y 3, 1883.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. S. BATES. LUMBER DRIER.

Patented July 3, 122% N4 PETERS. Photo-Lithographer, Wlhinglom 04 c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM s'. BATES, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LUMBER-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 280,440, dated July 3, 1883. Application filed April 12, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. BATEs, of Chicago, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lumber-Driers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to lumber-driers, and its object is the production of a drying-kiln which shall be cheap to build and economical to use.

To this end the invention consists in certain devices and combinations of devices, among which the following may be named, those which constitute the invention being more particularly specified in the claims at the end hereof,

viz: a heating-chamber in which air is heated before it comes in contact with the lumber to be dried; a drying-chamber in which the lumber is piled, and dried by the action of the hot air a pile of lumber piled crosswise of the kiln, and having its layers separated to permit the passage of the hot air between them; projecting doorways into which the ends of the lumber extend, whereby the hot air is prevented from coming in contact with the ends of the lumber; hinged flaps, which constitute an in ward extension of the doorway, for use in the case of short lumber; a raised ceiling over the lumber-pile for convenience in piling and handling the lumber, 83c.

The drawings represent a two pile dryingkiln containing my invention. In them Figure 1 is a birdseye view of the kiln. Fig. 2 is a birds-eye section of the same. Fig; 3 is a vertical longitudinal section,showing the lumberpiles in dotted lines; and Fig. 4 is a plan section.

A is the body of the kiln, the lower part of .Which forms the heating-chamber and the upper part'the drying-chamber.

B are steam-pipes in the heating-chaniber for heating the air.

I) is the door for admitting cold air.

0 O arepiles of lumber in the drying-chant ber.

c are sticks laid between the layers of lumber to separate them and leave passages be tween them for the hot air.

D are projecting doorways at the kiln.

d are the doors.

E is the raised ceiling over the lumber-pile.

F is a chimney.

sides of the f is the opening from the bottom of the dry ing-room into the chimney.

e are hinged flaps for use with short lumber, as shown in Fig. 4. \Vhen not in use the flaps are folded back against thesides of the kiln.

In practice the lumber may be piled in from one side and taken out 011 the other side, the doors 011 bothsides permitting this. The lumber is piled in close against the sides of the doorways, as in 0, Figs. 3 and 4, and the sticks c are laid close against the sides of the kiln, to prevent the passage of hot air into the doorways and to the ends of the pile. If the pile is not high enough to reach the ceiling of the body of the kiln, a board should be turned on edge on each side to close the gap which would otherwise be left. In the case of lumber which is too short to reach across the kiln, the flaps e are turned out and constitute a practical extension of the doorway into the body of the kiln, and the lumber and sticks are laid against the flaps, as shown at G. In a two or more pile kiln the chamber may be narrowed at one pile to accommodate short lumber and the fiaps dispensed with. be enough longer than the width .of the piles to leave space at the sides of the piles for the hot air. It will generally be found best to make the piles rather wide than high, as there will in this case be greater economy in the use of the kiln.

In operation the air enters the heating-chamber at b, and is heated by the steam-pipes B. Theheated air then passes up through the space a. into the drying chamber, where it passes through the lumber-piles and up the chimney. \Vhen desirable, the kiln may be built for one pile, and in other cases it may be built for two or more piles. These variations will. be easily made by the mechanic without further description.

WVhat I claim is 1. The combination of the hcatingchamber,

the drying-chamber, and the lumber piled crosswise of the drying-chamber, and having .its ends protected from the hot air, substan tially as described.

2. The combination of the heating-chamber, the drying-chamber, and the projecting doorways to the drying-chamber, substantially as described.

The body of the kiln should 3. The combination of the heating-chamber, the drying-chamber, the projecting" doorways to the drying-chamber, and the lumber piled crosswise of the kiln, and having its ends ex- 5 tending into the projecting doorways,and protected from the hot air, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the heating-chamber, the drying-chamber, the lumber-pile, and the 10 hinged flaps to protect the ends of the pile from the hot air, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the heating-chamber, the drying-chamber, the lumber piled cross wise of the kiln,and having its ends protected from the hot air, and the chimney having an 1 5 opening from the bottom of the drying-chamber substantially as described.

Vitnesses:

ALBERT H. Amirs, O. V. Boxn. 

